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Member Spotlight

COMSEP would like to congratulate the 2017 Awardees

MacKenzi Hillard, MD
Weill Cornell University School of MedicineTechnology at the Bedside; Using Point-of-care Tools to Enhance Clinical Reasoning in Pediatric Settings

Cindy Osman MD, MS
New York University School of MedicineThe Student Workplace-Based Easy Evaluation Tool (SWEETool): Feasibility and Validity

COMSEP Meeting in Ottawa, ON

Poster Presentation:

Interprofessional Education in Pediatrics Clerkships in Canadian Medical Schools

Authors:Joanna Holland,Dalhousie University,Halifax,NS

Background:

Interprofessional Education (IPE) has received increasing attention in medical schools in recent years. The Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Educatation defines IPE as “experiences in which students from two or more different professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care.” IPE is now a required element of medical school curricula in the US and Canada. No studies have looked specifically at IPE in Pediatric undergraduate programs.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to assess pediatric clerkship directors’ knowledge and perceptions of IPE, describe IPE experiences offered by pediatric clerkship programs in Canada and identify barriers and opportunities for IPE in pediatric clerkships.

Results:

14 of 17 clerkship directors responded to the survey. 6 clerkship directors reported feeling “not at all confident” with respect to their knowledge of IPE, while 5 reported feeling “somewhat confident” and 3 reported feeling “confident”. When asked to define IPE, many clerkship directors missed important elements of the definition. 6 clerkship directors reported that their University offered professional development with respect to IPE. 4 clerkship directors reported that they offered an IPE experience during the Pediatric clerkship, although only two of these had reported feeling confident in their knowledge of IPE. Details of the available experiences will be presented.

Discussion:

Despite the increasing requirement of Canadian Medical Schools for IPE experiences, most Pediatrics clerkship directors do not report feeling confident in their knowledge of IPE and few programs offer an IPE experience during their rotations. There is a need for professional development in this area to fill this gap. Sharing of ideas among clerkship directors may help with curriculum development.